Blackmoore warns about returning to Petite Savanne

Minister of Justice, Immigration and National Security Rayburn Blackmoore has warned residents of Petite Savanne who may be reconsidering moving back to that community to consider their safety.

The community was severely affected by Tropical Storm Erika August 27, 2015 and residents had to be evacuated from that community which was deemed unsafe.

“I believe that it is not healthy, it is not wise that if a place is vulnerable and of course if a place is declared as a disaster area and efforts are being made by the state to provide for you in terms of housing and in terms of other services, I think the wise thing to do is to work with the state because it is all about your welfare and your safety,” he said.

He stated that the safety of the residents is paramount.

“I believe your safety first starts with your ability to recognize that you have a responsibility to keep yourself safe,” he stated.

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48 Comments

Like or Dislike: 10EducationistSeptember 1, 2017

Why didn’t the DLP Government not spend the money on making Petite Savanne a safer place to inhabit? The large sum of money spent at Bellevue Chopin could go a long way in making Petite Savanne more resistant to the impacts of Storms like Erika.

By the way Mr. Blackmore isn’t Campbell also designated a disaster area? If so why are Campbell residents not asked to vacate the Campbell community? Guess what? Dominica is a disaster area. We are prone to Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Flooding and volcanic eruption . What we can do is take mitigatory actions. Monserrat people are surviving for many years with an Active volcano. Let us bring back Petite Savanne. Abandon the areas that are inhabitable and take actions to protect the areas that are habitable. Engineering is the key to restoring Petite Savanne back to its glory days

No place in Dominica is fully safe. We have several active Volcanoes and we are prone to earthquakes and hurricanes that can create the same situation in several other communities on island. the last time I check it Dominica is hills and valleys.
What we need is better disaster preparedness strategies and evacuation plans.

It is totally unbelievable that the Gov’t does not see this as a priority. We have to expect and plan for more severe storms

all the folks who died and lost homes, if a geologist had warned them before that the village was prone to that magnitude of disaster they would never have moved to save their lives. Human are materialistic. they care more for the “things” that for their life. Dominicans never learn, they die without learning from past mistakes. Go live in your beloved village and next time the rain falls all night perish. You will die happy.

I agree, its just that these are country people and they’re not used to living in Town or depending on other people. i think they visit now and then because they displaced , their new homes are not yet fully constructed. No one will stay there its too dangerous and also there are no services or facilities.

By the same token, should they abandon Houston in Texas? Is it safe there?
Does anyone else remember what the American General suggested when He first saw the devastation after Hurricane David? His suggestion was that the island be abandoned.

While I sincerely believe that the Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet were shell-shocked at the disaster wreaked by TS Ericka and hence his decision to declare the community of Petite Savanne “unlivable”, I however believe that human beings are resilient in the face of disaster. We have examples of Japan. Japan was hit by two U.S. bombs in 1945. Several earthquakes, floods. Yet the people remain. And flourish at that!

Who is to say that Petite Savanne will ever experience a disaster of this magnitude once again? I say, let it be an individual choice for the residents of Petite Savanne. These people have a bond with their community. Their ancestors have lived there for generations fishing, making bay oil etc.

TL;DR : If the Petite Savanne people want to go back to their homes, let them go.

everything skerrit does is about, self praise, more votes, and always have some sinister plan behind his actions. and those tebeah of ministers never question him, they simply say praise god for him. dominica jesus

there is an old saying, one fool always admires another. dominica chief engineer, one man Roosevelt skerrit with no investigative engineering studies done on that village deemed it not fit for living and his minion blackmoore is giving full support… dominica is really a fools paradise

I understand where Mr. Blackmore is coming from, but, I also feel for and understand why Ti Savanne people yearn for their beloved home. I left my village many years ago, and, never got over her. Home is where the heart is. My heart will ALWAYS be in Montin; always have, always been. I feel bad for those people. I really do. The decision ultimately is theirs to make.

Thank you for the message. What the people from Petite Savanne are looking for is some stronger leadership and some transparency. Despite many requests, no one has been given any written proof of a strcutural problem, today, in the area; no one have been given a formal government notice on official paper, no one has an offical paper stating what they should do or if they have a house in Bellvue and under what conditions.

This whole thing has been poorly dealt with and if officials want citizens to heed thier words, they need to follow expected protocol, and show some respect for what people have left in Petite Savanne. I have just burried my father there and I will vist his grave. Please can this be dealt with properly – no more threats and cowboy administrations.

If you were to pass some other areas in Dominica after TsErika you could count the number of landslides(7-10) average, HOWEVER at Petite Savanne you there was were just too many. Who knows how many people missing and just BURIED by landslides. The problem is that the area has just became unsafe to reside. I have no problem with farmers going there to plant their crops and harvesting their Bay leaves – it is what they have known all their lives.
They can even spend a weekend there as a little getaway, but it is dangerous as a residential area.

i understand where blackmoore is coming from and they should really leave. but the problem is that most of them dont want to. they even saying they going to rent the apartments when they get them. or they will go there for weekend. apartments which other needy people could profit from. if they cannot be convinced to live there they shouldnt be given a key. and how about the dual property thing? how does that work? do they have to give up thier homes in tsavanne to accept the new one?

So Blackmoore with all what you said an I to conclude that Dr. Darroux is no longer the parl rep of petite Savanne, since the place has been deemed dangerous and the people have been relocated to another constituency? Are we to conclude that we no longer have 21 constituencies in Dominica, since one has been relocated?
You guys are just saying a piece here and there but no one dealing with the real issues

Blackmnore, you can’t tell the people who own land in the country what to do with their land. Justice and Immigration Matters concern foreign migrants entering the country, not those that decide to use what they own in the country to make ends meet. My God, Blackmore want to run people from their land to sell it to Monfared brother.

The Government is doing nothing to try develop the people to their original state. instead you all look for ways in which you can benefit from under the table bucks.

Shame on the administration of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This Government has brought the country to dire international shame, and its just surprising how many DLP supporters are so blinded by the works of poverty. Woe to those that call good evil and evil good. but blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

The country is crying out for help and I just don’t understand why so many brilliant dominican people allow 13 crazy folk to steer them into…

I think the wise thing to do is to work with the state because it is all about your welfare and your safety,” he said. Welfare State is Communism 101. Let people live there lives independently and held responsiblefor themselves even if they return, the state should leave us ALONE!

Ya but plans should have already been put in place to ID safe areas and at least let those who want to go back do so, at least in the safe areas. After all, these are people who were largely self-sufficient, farming, bay oil producers, how are many going to feed their families. Relying on the state has not gone well for them so far. It will in the long term be more efficient for some to return to farm etc and feed their families. Think Rayborn Think ahead. Engineers are not God.

Blackmoore what have you got against these people who want return to their properties. Yes, they know the risks but it is their choice after all. Instead of being cooped up at the mercy of the state these people want to make their own way. Yes, you have assisted as any government should but please do not obstruct them in their choice

Anonymous, Blackmore problem is not the people returning, his problem is the resources and people we will need to save them again. I he declares his ministry will not take part in the even of another disaster in this area you will sing a different song.

I am so with you on this Minister Blackmoore. I don’t care what anyone says, the place was deemed unsafe and a disaster area. So I cannot for the life of me understand why people would want to move back. Safety first my people!

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